Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots: What you should know if you win
Here’s what you should know if you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Powerball jackpot is now worth over $600 million and rising after there was no winner in Saturday’s drawing.
The lottery jackpot is currently estimated at $638 million, with a cash value of $304.2 million. The next drawing will take place on Monday, September 18th at 10:59 p.m. ET.
The most recent Powerball jackpot reached $1.08 billion when the winning ticket was sold in Los Angeles on July 19, making it the third largest prize in the lottery’s history.
Here’s what you should know about the Powerball lottery.
Playing Powerball for the first time? Here’s exactly how to ask for a ticket at the checkout.
When is the next Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings occur three times per week, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The next drawing is Monday, September 18th.
What were the last Powerball winning numbers?
The winning numbers for the drawing on Saturday, September 16th were 8, 11, 19, 24 and 46. The red Powerball was 5 and the Power Play was 2X.
There were no $2 million jackpot winners or Match 5 + Power Play winners, but there were $1 million Match 5 winners in Arizona and Washington.
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How to play Powerball
The Powerball costs $2 per game.
To play, choose five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls and then one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
You can choose your lucky numbers on a ticket or let the lottery terminal select your numbers at random.
To win, you must choose one of nine options:
- 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = main prize.
- 5 white balls = 1 million dollars.
- 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
- 4 white balls = $100.
- 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
- 3 white balls = $7.
- 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
- 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
- 1 red Powerball = $4.
There is a chance that the Power Play will increase your winnings by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x and 10x for an additional $1 per spin. Players can multiply non-jackpot winnings up to ten times if the jackpot is $150 million or less.
All prizes are fixed monetary amounts, except the Grand Prize. In California, prize payout amounts are determined by sales and the number of winners.
How do you play Powerball? A beginner’s guide to Powerball rules and possible prizes.
What are the chances of winning the Powerball?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292,201,338. The odds for the lowest prize, $4 for a red Powerball, are one in 38.32.
According to Powerball, the overall odds of winning a prize are one in 24.87, based on a $2 game and rounded to two decimal places.
What is the biggest Powerball jackpot ever?
Here are the five biggest Powerball jackpots ever won: